Cargo Space

I don't know how I managed it, but my 24-inch, must-be-checked-to-your-final-destination rollaboard bag was even fatter when I returned from the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. Our long-term 2013 Subaru BRZ was my assigned vehicle for the night, and I inadvertently found the limit of its trunk space, at least when it comes to trunk height.

The bag just cleared the opening of the BRZ's trunk. And with some twisting, it just fit into the trunk with half an inch at most to spare in the height department.

I measured the height of both the opening and the trunk itself, and logically, they're both 15.75 inches. The photos I've included here with my tape measure distort that a bit (I had to come in from a weird camera angle to take advantage of the fading daylight), but take my word for it: It really is 15.75 inches high. So in its expanded form, the bag was probably 15.25 inches thick, give or take a quarter of inch.

One further note: Although I positioned the bag sideways, it would have gone in wheels first if I'd been so inclined because the trunk is just a hair over 31.5 inches deep. For me, the BRZ has enough trunk space to serve as a personal car (provided I drove it by myself 90 percent of the time), because this 24-incher is the largest suitcase I own and I don't currently have other hobbies that require bulky equipment.

I'm half of a household of two, and since neither of us have bulky hobbies like cycling or snowboarding (though we already know a bike will fit while a microwave won't), the 2013 Subaru BRZ's 6.9-cubic-foot trunk capacity would meet our needs 95 percent of the time.

What you see here is most of a $130 grocery store trip... yeah, I paid extra to get a pre-brined turkey. Ah, Trader Joe's, you know me too well.

I say "most" because at California prices, that still didn't net me enough food to pack the trunk tight, so the salad greens and eggs had to ride in the cockpit for their own protection. Even on a short drive, the Toyobarus just aren't cars you can drive gingerly, and over the course of two miles, the 15-pound turkey reorganized the bags.

And so if I owned a BRZ, I would indulge my spouse's obsession with OEM cargo accessories...

I had a cargo net in mind, but this cargo organizer would probably do a better job protecting the greens and eggs. Disregard the total price shown here... while looking at the organizer, figured I'd build a BRZ to my own liking -- Premium trim, white paint.

Not sure why the BRZ trunk lid struts just now caught my attention. I must have half-expected to work around some gooseneck hinges while loading a few items into the trunk this morning. While not what you'd consider a premium feature, it's a good stroke of design and an appreciated effort to maximize that small space. With the price points both Subaru and Scion targeted, it would've been easy to skimp here and fudge the trunk numbers.

Yesterday I unexpectedly had to take my five-year-old daughter to school while also bringing along my 16-month-old son. The only vehicle I had at my disposal was the BRZ. It's not normally something I'd plan to use for kid duty, but at least it has rear seats.

As you can see, both the Recaro booster seat and Britax convertible fit. But the devil's in the details.

The main issue for installing the Britax is that the contoured shape of seat cushion isn't conducive for easy seat installation. (Quote that came to mind at the time: "I don't think they had Wookies in mind when they designed her, Chewy.") Flat is best for safety seats, and the BRZ's rear seat is definitely not flat. If I were doing this on a regular basis, I might consider adding a folded up towel (or two) to try and even things out so that the safety seat wasn't squishing the cushion so much when belted in. But hey, it worked. Well, front-facing, anyway.

This small bin in the BRZ's dash is one of the few physical differences that actually matter between the BRZ and FR-S interiors. The Subaru's start button eats some space but still allows enough room for a narrow bin. With the exception of the USB/auxiliary inputs, the Scion has a full-width bin.